The government has proposed to tax a portion of the Employees’Provident Fund (EPF), drawing widespread protests, primarily from the salaried class. Indians do not enjoy social security and for many their forced savings are the only guarantee to a comfortable retired life.

“People work all their lives. The EPF is their only safety net,” Gandhi told reporters. “I request the prime minister to roll back the tax on EPF.”

This is the first time the opposition Congress has spoken out on the tax, which could prove to be a political hot potato for the government.